Attractions by the Ages: Animal Kingdom

Disney puts an insane amount of effort into making sure their parks have something for everyone, but of course not every attraction is going to appeal to you and your family. That’s why it helps to have an idea beforehand of which attractions you definitely want to see on your trip.

I’ve broken down all the attractions at the Animal Kingdom by appropriate age groups. Some are geared towards little ones, some are great for teens or mom and dad, and there are some that the whole family can enjoy together.

For Younger Kids

·      The Boneyard – Kids can dig for fossils and play on the archaeological themed playground in Dinoland, USA.

·      TriceraTop Spin – Similar to the Dumbo attraction at Magic Kingdom, hop on the back of a triceratops and fly over Dinoland.

·      Kids Discovery Clubs – Keep an eye out for cast members all around the park ready to teach the kids about nature through hands-on experiences.

·      Affection Section – Take the Wildlife Express Train to get to this great petting zoo.

For Pre-Teens and Teens

·      DINOSAUR – An indoor thrill ride that takes you back to the time of the dinosaurs. For a detailed look at this ride, check out my previous post.

·      Primeval Whirl – This mini-rollercoaster in Dinoland, USA will send you spinning around turns and up and down dips.

·      Expedition Everest – A thrill ride that takes you to the top of a mountain to battle the fearsome Yeti monster. It’s also my favorite rollercoaster ever! Check out the previous post for detailed info.

·      Kali River Rapids – An adventurous raft ride down a jungle river that is sure to cool you off. Prepare to get wet!

For the Whole Family

·      The Oasis Exhibits – View and learn about different kinds of wildlife near the park entrance.

·      Discovery Island Trails – See even more animal exhibits on Discovery Island.

·      It’s Tough to be a Bug – This 4-D show inside the Tree of Life will show just what a bug’s life is really like.

·      Festival of the Lion King – This musical acrobatic show is a must see! It’s one of my all-time favorite shows in the parks. You’ll find it in Camp Minnie-Mickey.

·      Camp Minnie-Mickey Greeting Trails – Meet and greet with all your favorite characters throughout the day.

·      Kilimanjaro Safaris – See African wildlife up close in person as you ride through the savanna. See attraction details in the previous post.

·      Pangani Forest Exploration Trail – See gorillas and other wildlife.

·      Habitat Habitat! – See playful animals, like monkeys, on this nature trail.

·      Conservation Station – See how Disney cares for the animals in this sneak peek behind the scenes.

·      Flights of Wonder – Meet all kinds of interesting birds and their trainers in this live show.

·      Marajah Jungle Trek – See tigers, bats and other Asian wildlife.

·      Finding Nemo the Musical – The newest live show at the park, and a fantastic must-see! Check out full details in the previous post.

·      Fossil Fun Games – Dino themed carnival games everyone can try.

·      Cretaceous Trail – Discover extinct dinosaurs as well as other animals and plants that survived the prehistoric era.

·      Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade – Don’t miss Mickey and all the gang in this wild and musical parade at 3:45 p.m. daily. My favorite spot to catch it is near the Flights of Wonder attraction.

Maybe this will help you know which attractions you want to take a closer look at. If you have a general idea of what activities you want to do before you go to a particular park, you can help maximize your time there. If you use the planning tool on the Walt Disney World website, you can create a favorites list to help you keep track of the attractions you want to see. You can also find more information about each of the attractions on the website.

Talk to ya real soon!

Miranda

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....

Hey, remember me? Yeah, I know, I’ve been a big time slacker on this blog for the past two months, but now that graduations are over and my crazy photographer life gets kind of back to normal, you should be seeing a lot more of me here…. Especially since I’m super homesick right now!
I’m always missing WDW, but it’s even worse this time of year. Right now is peak vacation season for families. The kids are just out of school and it hasn’t gotten too unbearably hot yet, so this is one of the most desirable vacation times of the year. In fact a couple of my Facebook friends just got back last week, and a couple of weeks from now my cousin is taking her husband and three kids. (I’ve already threatened to hide in the suitcase more than once!) As for me, I probably won’t be returning for another 2 or 3 years :(. But don’t think I haven’t already started planning!

Just this weekend, something happened in the World that got me (and my mom and dad) totally fired up and ready to go again. On Friday, the Star Tours attraction finally reopened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, bigger and better than ever!

For those of you that don’t know, Star Tours is a simulation ride that opened at the Studios 20 years ago and was based on the final movie in the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi. It has always been one of my favorite rides, even before I became a Star Wars fan. When I was just 3, my parents and I would ride it, get off and turn around and get right back on. We did that so many times once that the cast member at the entrance said he couldn’t believe I would ride it that many times. But I LOVED it!

After the first part of the new trilogy, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, came out in 1999, I think everyone was in agreement that the ride needed updating, just to keep up with the new story. For whatever reasons, the ride never changed. I believe it’s popularity did decrease slightly, because the last several trips I haven’t had to wait in line for it at all. But it wasn’t until September of 2010 that the ride closed for refurbishment. “Refurbishment” in Disney-speak usually just means a good cleaning and oiling up, but Star Tours got a complete makeover.

The ride is now in 3-D and features 54 different ride experiences, so you could ride it over and over like we used to and never get the same sequence twice. You could travel to some of your favorite planets in the Star Wars galaxy, like Tatoonie (where you can podrace!! AWESOME!!), Hoth, Naboo, Coruscant, Kashyyk, or maybe you’ll venture over to the Death Star. And you never know who your pilot may be. It could be Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Admiral Ackbar, R2-D2, Master Yoda, a storm trooper, or even (yikes!) Darth Vader.

Being the huge Disney/Star Wars geek that I am, I took a break from photo editing Friday morning to watch the grand opening ceremony on WDW’s Facebook page. George Lucas and cast members from the TV series The Clone Wars were on-hand to officially open the ride to the public. After a little stand-off with Vader and his storm troopers, guests took their first intergalactic flight.

I’ve added Disney's commercial for the ride below. I cannot wait to see it in person! If you’re planning a trip this summer, check it out and be sure to let me know how awesome it is. And of course, may the Force be with you!